Reflection on John 13:1-17, 31b-35 (Maundy Thursday)

 

John 13:1-17, 31b-35 (NRSV)

The story of the last supper in John’s gospel recalls a remarkable event not mentioned elsewhere: Jesus performs the duty of a slave, washing the feet of his disciples and urging them to do the same for one another. 

¹Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. ²The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper ³Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, ⁴got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. ⁵Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. ⁶He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” ⁷Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” ⁸Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” ⁹Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” ¹⁰Jesus said to him, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.” ¹¹For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
 ¹²After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? ¹³You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. ¹⁴So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. ¹⁶Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. ¹⁷If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”

 ^31b“Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. ³²If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. ³³Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ ³⁴I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. ³⁵By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Reflection 

As they eat supper, dipping bread into olive oil, the disciples look up to see Jesus rising from the meal.  He goes and grabs the bowl and towel used by the servants of the house to wash the dust off of people’s feet as they are welcomed into the home.  Setting the bowl down behind one of the disciples who was reclining on his stomach, facing the food on the low table, Jesus takes off his nice, outer robe, as if he is about to get dirty, ties the towel around his waist, and begins to wash the disciple’s feet.  The water runs down the feet, and any remaining dirt from the road drips into the bowl.  Jesus goes around the table, to each disciple, washing their feet.

As he comes closer to Peter, Peter instinctually pulls his feet closer to his body.  He looks at the other baffled disciples.  Why is their master doing this?  This is a servant’s job.  At most it is the job of the owner of the house.  If anyone should be doing this, it should be a servant, or the owner of the house, or even one of them, one of the lowly disciples.

“’Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’” 

Jesus answered, “’You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’” 

Peter said to him, “’You will never wash my feet.’”

Jesus answered, “’Unless I wash you, you have no share with me’” (John 13:6-8).

The entire thing is baffling.  Jesus needs to wash their feet.  Why?  Who knows? 

They need to have their feet washed to be with Jesus.  Why?  Who know?  Later, Jesus says that it is only their feet that needs washed.  That too is as clear as mud.  As I said, the entire thing is baffling to the disciples, but Jesus promises that later they would understand.

And, later, understanding does come.  It is found in these words of promise from Jesus: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also” (NRSV, John 14:3).

Do you know the first thing that the master of a house made sure happened to those who stepped inside the home?  The guests’ feet were washed.  It was the ancient equivalent of, “Make yourself at home.  Do you want something to drink?”

And, for Jesus, it is literally that: making these guests a part of his home; a part of his family.  When Jesus washes the disciples’ feet, he is saying, “Welcome home.  You have a place here.  You have an eternal family with us now.  Where I am, there you are also.” 

Can I just stop right there and sit with that idea?  When Jesus bends down and washes feet, he is welcoming people into his family.  Notice that even Judas (the one who will betray Jesus…and Jesus knows it already), even he has his feet washed.  There is no prerequisite needed to get your feet washed.  There is nothing that anyone needs to do or not do to be welcomed into God’s family, except for allowing Jesus to wash you, welcoming you in. 

Jesus instructs his disciples to do the same.  Wash more people.  Welcome more people.  Do the same as Jesus did, with no prerequisites; no requirements.  “You also should do as I have done to you.” Jesus says.  “Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them” (John 13:15-16).  We do not know better or understand more than Jesus.  If Jesus welcomed and washed the feet of dirty, unworthy people, then we do the same.

Jesus is interested in getting into the griminess of our lives.  Jesus desires those who are dirty, with stained lived, to be washed clean and given a good home. 

You deserve a good home, according to Jesus.  You deserve to be welcomed, washed, and given a place, according to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  If Judas was valued enough to be invited in and washed, even though he betrayed our Lord and caused his death, then so are you valued enough to be given a place in Jesus’ family.  We have a lamb, whose blood washes us clean.  We have a host who welcomes us in. 

We have been given a way of life that causes us to look at dirty, stain-filled people’s feet, and instead of turning away in disgust, seeing those dirty feet causes us to say to ourselves, “I bet they need washed.  I bet they need a good home.  I bet they need Jesus to wash them clean, just like he washed me.

Then the bowls and towels will come out and the washing will begin.  Then the lost and despicable will be made clean and will be given the home they never had.  Then they will all know we are Jesus’ disciples, because we are loved, we love, and we welcome even them (John 13:35).